// Cognitive Linguistics 21–4 (2010), 601–662.
This paper presents a theoretical account of figurative language understanding, examining metaphor and metonymy in particular. The account is situated within the Theory of Lexical Concepts and Cognitive Models (LCCM Theory). It is argued that an account of figurative language understanding from this perspective complements the ‘backstage cognition’ perspectives of Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Conceptual Blending Theory.